A loveable novel of stunning originality and poignancy
T.S. Spivet is a genius mapmaker who lives on a ranch in Montana. His father is a silent cowboy and his mother is a scientist who for the last twenty years has been looking for a mythical species of beetle. His brother has gone, his sister
seems normal but might not be, and his dog – Verywell – is going mad. T.S. makes sense of it all by drawing beautiful, meticulous maps kept in innumerable colour-coded notebooks.He is brilliant, and the Smithsonian Institution agrees, though when they award him a major scientific prize they don't suspect for a moment that he is twelve years old.
So begins T.S.’s life-changing adventure, travelling two thousand miles across America to reach the awards dinner, the secret-society membership and the TV interviews that beckon. But is this what he wants? Do maps and lists explain the world? And why are adults so strange?
Author ProfileReif Larsen studied at Brown University and has taught at Columbia University, where he received his MFA in fiction. He is also a filmmaker and has made documentaries in the United States, United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
ReviewsHere is a book that does the impossible: it combines Mark Twain, Thomas Pynchon, and
Little Miss Sunshine. Good novels entertain; great ones come as a gift to the readers who are lucky enough to find them. This book is a treasure,Larson has made an impressive mark … spectacularly funny,Reif Larsen’s wonderful original debut, destined to please readers of all ages, is the Next Big Thing… echoes of Thomas Pynchon, Robert Coover and Nicholson Baker… a lively sophisticated narrative that looks to
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,A wilfully original and diverting book … you can see exactly why it caused publishers to sit up. It is charming and kooky,Think Tom Sawyer with a passion for empirical science… one of the most original books of the year,Fantastical, funny and delightfully original,Impossible to put down. Engagingly poignant and charmingly quirky … Larsen is an accomplished writer, but he’s also a hugely gifted illustrator … It’s a genius debut.,Reif Larson’s debut novel combines meticulous eccentricity with an amazingly broad appeal … the book is a thing of beauty in itself... TS’s voice – and scientific pencil – enchant the reader … TS’s journey – towards forgiveness, understanding, adulthood, love – is a familiar one, but the views are spectacular.,We believe in Spivet because Larsen gives us so much that is elegant and even pretty to look at. The book is beautifully produced with drawings and maps, yet the account of the train journey in this attractively naďve voice would be admirable even if it were not framed and accompanied by sketches,It has the makings of a cult classic...a deliciously ambitious book, a confident blast of ideas – and a beautiful object,Highly entertaining journey…Larsen will go on great things,It has the makings of a cult classic...a deliciously ambitious book, a confident blast of ideas – and a beautiful object
